2021 Brule Coldwater Legacy Project Report

Abstract

This project was a continuation of the “Assessing Threats to Coldwater Habitat in Wisconsin’s Bois Brule River” study (Eliot, et.al. 2022). The key objectives of the 2021 Coldwater Legacy Project were to continue efforts started in 2019, including: temperature monitoring and connecting undergraduate students to stakeholders through local research; convening a team of experts to develop the next steps for 2019 Bois Brule River Sediment Depth Survey (Eliot, et.al. 2021); and to archive and analyze historical temperature data from the Cedar Island Conservancy Ltd fish hatchery. To better link the temperature monitoring and stakeholder/undergraduate efforts conducted between 2019 and 2021, data and results from those objectives were included in the above-mentioned Eliot, et.al., 2022 report. Thirty-four stakeholder recommendations for the Bois Brule River were also included in the 2022 report. Results from the Cedar Island Conservancy Ltd fish hatchery data, land cover analyses, and habitat assessment are reported below. The land cover analyses, and habitat assessments were outcomes of the stakeholder consultation conducted in 2022.